Best Machete – Woodman’s Pal Classic Fixed Blade Knife

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Is Woodman’s Pal a Machete Axe or Knife?

Woodman’s Pal Review

Whether you’re a home gardener clearing brush in your backyard or outdoor enthusiast blazing a trail through the woods, once you give the Woodman’s Pal tool a swing, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it! The Woodman’s Pal is an axe, hatchet, and machete all in one and is made in America.

Woodman’s Pal History

In fact, in 1941, Frederick Ehrsam, a Swiss National who had settled in Pennsylvania, introduced the Woodman Tool. Professionals in forestry, agriculture, and horticulture quickly recognized it as a historic achievement because before this time, they had relied heavily on machetes for clearing brush and blazing trails. But they sorely needed other tools to thin, trim, chop, and prune. Woodman Pal the the rescue- it combined the the powerful cutting performance and versatility of a machete, axe, and hatchet into just one tool!

Military Survival Machete

This new tool did not go unnoticed by the US Military. The Woodman’s Pal, or “LC-14-B” in military terms, was standard issue from the early part of World War II through Desert Storm. GIs and the US Army Signal Corp. used the Woodman’s Pal for land clearing operations. At the time of the Vietnam War, the Woodman’s Pal was designated the “Survival Tool, Type IV” and was issued in air crew survival kits.

The Woodman’s Pal continues to be praised by each new generation of forest and land managers, surveyors, campers, soldiers, and outdoorsmen. Made of American materials, designed and crafted by American workers in Pennsylvania, the tool made today is virtually identical to the original. Its quality and integrity cannot be achieved easily, inexpensively, or en masse. It is designed to provide a lifetime of service and only the best materials are used. The blade is SAE1075 cold rolled spring steel, hardened to Rockwell C47. A lower-carbon steel would not hold the edge for long, and harder steel, such as SAE1095 used in fine cutlery, can become brittle in cold weather and can crack or chip with heavy use. The handle is shaped from a single piece of American hardwood, cemented and riveted to the tang. The belt-looped sheath is heavily stitched, and rugged.

From the blanking of the steel on the 150-ton press to the hand-lacquering of each handle, there are 23 stages of production. Some of these operations employ machines unlike any others in the world. All stages are done by hand. Edges are precisely rolled resulting in double-convex perfection. The result is a tool that is superbly balanced and feels like an extension rather than a burden to your arm (it’s no accident that its length approximates that of the human forearm from elbow to knuckle).

Woodman’s Pal is an excellent survival knife

The Woodman’s Pal Classic, Premium, Premium Junior, and Long Reach models are sold individually, or as sets. Sets include a sheath and honing stone. Choose between leather, cordura or canvas for the sheath. The Woodman’s Pal Nostalgia Collection is perfect for military and American history buffs. The Nostalgia Collection includes a set of 4 reprinted manuals as a reminder of humble beginnings from early 1942 when the US Signal Corp was issued this standard equipment. Each manual provides valuable information on a variety of topics that relate to the Woodman’s Pal and contains the original wording and artwork reprinted from manuals originally printed in 1942. The titles of the manuals are: Care, Use & Sharpening; Living in the Jungle; Survival Tool Kit Airman’s; and Fighting with USA Knife LC-14-B.

Whether you’re trimming and pruning unwanted brush in your backyard, blazing a trail, or building a duck blind, after you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever did without the Woodman’s Pal. Use it for all outdoor jobs that call for an axe, hatchet, or machete– you get the Wilderness Survival Knife performance of all three in just one tool!

The Original Woodman’s Pal – A Unique Tool Offering Optimum Performance, Effectiveness and Control, Artfully Beautiful In Its Achievement with a Proud History – Made in the USA. Gripped as either an axe or a machete, the Woodman’s Pal can clear trails and brush and perform the tasks of many tools such as machetes, axes, hatchets, trimming saws, pruning scissors, knives, bow saws, Wilderness Survival Knife, and sometimes even chain saws.

With one Woodman’s Pal, you can trim bushes and small trees, prune, clear or blaze trails, clear brush from lines, remove unwanted growth and build shelters or duck blinds. As All-American as you can get, Woodman’s Pal tools are formed from the highest-grade American steel, melded with the best American ash wood.

Enthusiastic Pennsylvania craftsmen do all manufacturing of the Woodman’s Pal. Their precision and attention to detail are proof of their commitment to our USA Pride an motto: Build it once, Build it right. Today, users of the Woodman’s Pal still praise its versatility and effectiveness. The tool is still used by outdoors men and women, from forest managers to gardeners, from hikers an campers to surveyors, from hunters and fishermen to soldiers and from handymen to scouts.

Product Details

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ASIN: B01A7R5QWM

Customer Reviews

I give this tool a bloody thumbs up!

4 people found this helpful.

on August 5, 2017

By Llew SilverHand

Let’s start this off by saying this is a great tool that is well made, beautifully crafted and robust. It has a job to do and the weight behind it to perform against rigorous tasks. It is a thick and well balanced piece of steel with a comfortable handle for my large-ish hands. (I wear XL sized gloves, for reference.) Despite it’s thickness, it has an aggressive angle ground into it with a razor sharp edge along the blade as well as the hook… respect that and definitely buy the sheath that the manufacturer offers. This tool ain’t no butter knife. The sheath is of high quality, thick leather that is glued, stitched and riveted together. It has heavy duty snaps for the handle strap as well as the opening to release the blade.

A good knife, marred by so-so handle.

One person found this helpful.

on July 4, 2017

By SpartanShopper

A good knife, marred by so-so handle. The arch blade provided a lot of down force during strike and cut through branches quickly. The top hook is big enough for pulling cut branches away from the tree. I like the leather string attached to the handle and the included leather sheath and strap. I use this knife during long walks through my farm which has a few steep hills and the leather shoulder strap allows me to carry the knife on my shoulder and thus frees my hands for climbing. The handle provides a solid comfortable grip.

Quality tool and made in USA!

on November 29, 2017

By Glen E Thomas

I have used this tool extensively in the past and have been looking at the woodsmans pal for over a year and decided to buy one to keep in my truck. I especially like the leather sheath and found the sheath to be a high quality well made addition to the already classic woodsman pal. This is a well made tool that enables you to get work done, no issues chopping down some small saplings and overgrown areas in the back yard. Great tool for car camping due to the multi use ability and much safer for a novice to use instead of an axe or hand hatchet to process small branches for the camp fire. There is no discounting to history of this tool and the fact that this tool is handmade by craftsman in the USA with USA sourced parts. No comparison in quality between this tool and the copies that are on the market this tool works as intended. Great product and a unbelievable price when Amazon discounts this item a few times a year.

Pretty slick little item…

on March 1, 2017

By Doc

A little pricey for what it is, but it’s simple and well made. I suspect it will pay for itself in the long run, because it looks as though it’s going to be around for the long run. So far, have used it to chop up some mesquite branches, and it made short work of them and was none the worse for wear. Held its edge well. The only drawback was the excessive amount of oil in the leather sheath. I don’t dare wear it on my belt or put it in a backpack, because it soaks oil through anything that it touches. I mean, what did they do? DIP it in oil?? Waaay too much, people!

GREAT TOOL FOR BUG OUT, CAMPING AND SURVIVAL

on March 25, 2017

By Jeff Schmidt

Great tool! This one came with the leather sheath stained a nice brown color which also protects from weather. I have used this tool

It works

4 people found this helpful.

on May 29, 2013

By J. Mason

I guess this thing rates 5 stars when you compare it to the other tools out there, nothing comes close to the quality of steel in this thing that I have found. I’m sure there are good blades out there but I wanted an American made one and this is a good one. Once you get the wet stone and put an edge on this thing you could shave with it, it’s that sharp. Haven’t left it out in the elements so I don’t know about the nickel content yet.

A Great Machete

on December 3, 2017

By JA

this is the second Woodman’s Pal machete that I’ve owned (they’re practically indestructible, my first disappeared under questionable circumstances). They have a nice balance, and sufficient weight (if kept sharpened) to go through 1″ saplings with no problem. Far superior to a traditional machete. The brush hook blade comes in handy with briar type weeds.

Wicked tough

on June 17, 2016

By Topper

Everything I expected. A very strong tool. Been debating buying for over two years. Why did I wait? The hook at the businesses end is the most useful. Tore apart the creeping vines smothering my flowering shrubs. Love it. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to clear vegetation, fast.